The quality of a photograph is subject to a large number of factors. One of the most important factors in photography and videography is lighting. Lighting quality is generally contingent on the environment in which a photo shoot is taking place. Additionally, a photographer is able to manipulate the lighting of a photo shoot according to his or her vision for the photo shoot. A large variety of photography equipment and accessories are available to a photographer who wishes to manipulate a photo shoot environment. The flash unit is one of the most common lighting accessories and is often mounted directly to a camera via a hot shoe. A hot shoe features an electrical connection that allows an attached flash unit to fire upon the camera capturing an image. In contrast to camera-mounted flash units, studio lighting is generally adjustable as needed in order to achieve the appropriate level of lighting on a photo subject. As such, studio lighting is often mounted to a stand or to a handheld device such as a boom, allowing the lighting to be easily maneuvered and adjusted. This is particularly useful when a camera or lighting unit must be positioned above one or more subjects, such as during a large event. Similar to studio lighting units, microphones are often mounted to stands or booms in videography. A subject in a video shoot is often required to wear a microphone in order to increase the clarity and audibility of his or her speech. However, when this is not possible, a microphone is positioned in close proximity to the subject outside of the camera's field of view. The present invention seeks to enhance and improve upon conventional means of mounting and adjusting photography and videography equipment and accessories in order to manipulate a shoot environment.
The present invention is a camera and accessory mounting adapter to which a camera may be attached, along with various types of photography equipment and accessories. The present invention is attachable to a boom, pole, or similar device. This allows the present invention, an attached camera, and/or any attached equipment and accessories to be positioned and adjusted according to the user's needs in order to manipulate a shoot environment. In addition to a camera, various types of equipment and accessories may be mounted to the present invention including, but not limited to, flash units, continuous lighting units, LED lighting units, microphones, and umbrella-style reflectors.